Economics of Healthcare

This course introduces students to the economics of the healthcare delivery system and the health industry. Designed for adult learners in a workforce and credentialing pathway context, this 10-week online asynchronous course builds foundational knowledge of economic principles as they apply to healthcare systems, policy, and decision-making.

Students begin with core concepts in healthcare economics before exploring macroeconomic and microeconomic perspectives as they relate to healthcare markets and institutions. The course examines the role of government in healthcare, supply-and-demand dynamics, market competition, physician and hospital service markets, and workforce shortages and surpluses. Students also extend their learning to personal healthcare finance and global healthcare systems to understand how economic forces shape access, cost, and delivery of care across different contexts.

A key feature of the course is the use of the 4P framework—patient, provider, payer, and population—which students apply throughout case-based learning activities to analyze healthcare economic issues from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Emphasis is placed on interpreting data, understanding economic relationships, and applying insights to real-world healthcare decision-making.

This self-paced course requires approximately 10 hours of work per week and includes formative checks for understanding throughout the term, culminating in a final applied project in which students create an infographic that connects healthcare economic indicators to the 4P framework and demonstrates how economic data informs strategic decision-making.

A certificate of completion will be awarded to students who successfully complete the course.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Assess the fundamental economics of the healthcare delivery system and health industry to facilitate informed strategic decision making
• Distinguish between the macro and micro components of the economics of healthcare
• Interpret valuable healthcare economic data to communicate them to stakeholders
• Demonstrate knowledge of the healthcare economic environment through the 4P (patient, provider, payer, population) perspective framework
• Evaluate the general atmosphere of healthcare economics from a global perspective to explain how this information can be utilized in strategic decision making